A Python script calculates the solution to the Chinese Rings puzzle
Time Waster – Solve the Chinese Ring Puzzle
Mike Schilli takes on the almost 2,000-year-old Chinese Rings puzzle. Instead of just jingling rings, he tries to find a solution with logical operators.
I am not a fan of puzzles due to my lack of patience. However, when I recently read in an excerpt from Martin Gardner's venerable 1972 Scientific American column [1] in an online antiquarian bookstore that the Chinese Rings puzzle could be solved with Gray codes [2] from the field of information theory, I was gripped by game fever. I ordered the ring set online for little money.
A second-century Chinese general named Zhuge Liang is said to have invented the game, which was nicknamed "Baguenaudier" [3] (time waster) many centuries later. Allegedly, his intention was to keep his wife busy during his absence. The metal contraption arrived in a cardboard box with printed Chinese characters. Exhibiting great foresight, I immediately clamped the rail with the silver rings in my vise for electronic crafts to prepare for some time-consuming tinkering.
The nine inconspicuous rings initially all sit on two metal rails connected in the front, and they are also tied to one another through small metal rods (Figure 1). This restrictive suspension initially gives the impression that nothing can be changed at all in the entire construction, but the enclosed operating instructions indicate that there are indeed a limited number of possible moves.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.